My new favorite Italian restaurant in SoCal is North Italia! This place really specializes in a hand crafted experience in all they do. The kitchen is open and everything, including their pasta, is handmade from scratch daily. Here’s their house specialty, Bolognese. Traditional meat sauce with tagliatelle and grana padano cheese. Simply outstanding!

Super excited to check out the new menu at The Oaks Grille/Par Lounge! First section I focused on was their assortment of premium a la carte sides. It featured my favorite vegetable, macaroni & cheese, so I had to try it. Made with cavatappi pasta, a legit béchamel incorporating gruyere and provolone cheeses, topped with crispy breadcrumbs. Only $5. Honestly, I was impressed with the portion size. I could have made this a meal in itself, along with a couple of draft IPAs. The best version of top shelf mac & cheese I’ve had in Ramona to date. That, I can tell you. I consider myself a m&c connoisseur and what I had tonight was outstanding!

Probably one of the best hotel restaurants I’ve eaten at across the nation! 1440 Bistro inside Embassy Suites LAX South in El Segundo is a remarkable standout. Menu is fairly short but what they make is just excellent. Quality and attention to detail like few places I’ve experienced. Here’s an outstanding Smoked Turkey Club. Made with bacon, gruyere cheese, avocado, mayo, little gem lettuce, and mater on ciabatta.